They blew a 5-1 lead and were in jeopardy of losing another game to the Rangers, but defenseman Bryce Salvador says the Devils showed something special in outlasting their rivals Friday night.

"Sometimes that happens," Salvador said of seeing the Rangers come back to tie the game, 5-5. "What we take from that is how we responded. Give credit to them. They didn't stop playing. They could've packed their bags. It's not the first to five (goals)."

Give Salvador credit. He played despite being hit in the face by a shot from Alex Goligoski of the Penguins Wednesday night. And he didn't even wear a visor.

Any painful moments?

"Nothing that hurt me more than it already hurt," he said. "I felt fine considering I did take a puck to the face. Nothing to keep me out."

By winning the game, it was worth playing in pain. But he had to wonder as the game seemed to be slipping away.

Had the Devils lost, it would've been tough to swallow. Losing to the Rangers in that fashion would've been worse.

"Obviously if you end up losing a game like that it doesn't sit well," Salvador said. "But I wasn't thinking about losing that game. We stuck to it."